Throughout the different phases of my life, I have constantly being amazed at the positive influence of reading and writing with our children. As a former educator, the advantages of exposure to reading at home became obvious to me. Everyone can easily appreciate the strong learning foundation created by reading to preschoolers.
Word recognition, comprehension abilities, and listening skills are all fostered through the parent-child reading experience. Educators who have studied the topic agree that a link is evident between academic success and exposure to reading at a young age. I observed the greatest benefits of preschool reading, however, through my experiences as a parent of four children and grandparent of one. The greatest benefits of preschool reading is in the experience itself. If you are a parent, you understand that sentiment. If you are not a parent, reflect for a moment on your own childhood memories of reading with your parents. I do not have to say another word to convince you of the importance of reading to preschoolers.
During the preschool years, children may ask to read the same book again and again. My son liked it for a particularly funny phrase which it contained -"And there in the woods a piggy wig stood with a ring in the end of his nose - with a ring in the end of his nose!" My three year old daughter was so proud when she could reverse the reading situation and read a book to me! At 3, she really didn't recognize each word. She memorized it from so frequently reading the story. I give a lot of credit, however, to those reading experiences and the subsequent self-esteem which it fostered in her.
Sometimes our reading experiences with our children do not even have to involve books. You can "read" a child a story from the script in your mind.
Do we not all have vivid imaginations?
How many participate in on-line forums?
My middle son preferred the stories from the imagination without the printed text. He preferred for me to invent my own stories. No, that did not provide him with word recognition skills. Yet it still provided the valuable reading "experience."
My youngest son developed a passion for writing and wrote an entire play while in high school. Reading and writing are intertwined as one entity. One skill fosters the other! The love of one supports the love of the other!
Most children enjoy books when they are given the opportunity to explore. Previously, I was a Discovery Toys representative. I organized play groups for children. Children would gravitate towards the books. At times, a flashy cover or interesting feature would attract them to a book. Yet it was the joy of reading which would ultimately keep their interest.
As a grandparent I continued to create stories for my grandchild. I decided to send him stories via email - complete with graphics and animation. The enjoyment was mutual! This was the inspiration for an exciting business venture.
Instead of providing stories just to my family, I could broaden my enjoyment and create stories for others. There is no shortage of access to children's stories so I decided on a new twist to children's e stories - unique children's personalized e stories! Personalized stories are thought to be a self-esteem enhancer.
Some personalized stories in the marketplace just contain the child's name.(or their friends' names). Yet the children still learn to recognize their names. They gain self-esteem from reading a story about themselves. Personalized stories can be the impetus to encourage a child to keep a journal or write a story about themselves or their family or friends.
With my personalized e stories I decided to try to tweak the children's interest in reading. I provide an unique story (some themes) for each child. Each story contains 8 - 12 elements of the child's life ranging from the simple - favorite color - to the more complex - special wish or dream. Each story is as individual as each child.
Any extra incentive which can encourage children to enjoy reading has to have a positive outcome. Instilling a love of reading in a child is giving them a gift which will last a lifetime. We pass down our recipes from generation to generation. Let's not forget to do likewise with our books and their joys!
Stories, read or written, don't have to cost a cent. They can be accessed from library sources. So regardless whether or not you purchase stories or books, remember the reading experience and Please Read With Your Child!
Word recognition, comprehension abilities, and listening skills are all fostered through the parent-child reading experience. Educators who have studied the topic agree that a link is evident between academic success and exposure to reading at a young age. I observed the greatest benefits of preschool reading, however, through my experiences as a parent of four children and grandparent of one. The greatest benefits of preschool reading is in the experience itself. If you are a parent, you understand that sentiment. If you are not a parent, reflect for a moment on your own childhood memories of reading with your parents. I do not have to say another word to convince you of the importance of reading to preschoolers.
During the preschool years, children may ask to read the same book again and again. My son liked it for a particularly funny phrase which it contained -"And there in the woods a piggy wig stood with a ring in the end of his nose - with a ring in the end of his nose!" My three year old daughter was so proud when she could reverse the reading situation and read a book to me! At 3, she really didn't recognize each word. She memorized it from so frequently reading the story. I give a lot of credit, however, to those reading experiences and the subsequent self-esteem which it fostered in her.
Sometimes our reading experiences with our children do not even have to involve books. You can "read" a child a story from the script in your mind.
Do we not all have vivid imaginations?
How many participate in on-line forums?
My middle son preferred the stories from the imagination without the printed text. He preferred for me to invent my own stories. No, that did not provide him with word recognition skills. Yet it still provided the valuable reading "experience."
My youngest son developed a passion for writing and wrote an entire play while in high school. Reading and writing are intertwined as one entity. One skill fosters the other! The love of one supports the love of the other!
Most children enjoy books when they are given the opportunity to explore. Previously, I was a Discovery Toys representative. I organized play groups for children. Children would gravitate towards the books. At times, a flashy cover or interesting feature would attract them to a book. Yet it was the joy of reading which would ultimately keep their interest.
As a grandparent I continued to create stories for my grandchild. I decided to send him stories via email - complete with graphics and animation. The enjoyment was mutual! This was the inspiration for an exciting business venture.
Instead of providing stories just to my family, I could broaden my enjoyment and create stories for others. There is no shortage of access to children's stories so I decided on a new twist to children's e stories - unique children's personalized e stories! Personalized stories are thought to be a self-esteem enhancer.
Some personalized stories in the marketplace just contain the child's name.(or their friends' names). Yet the children still learn to recognize their names. They gain self-esteem from reading a story about themselves. Personalized stories can be the impetus to encourage a child to keep a journal or write a story about themselves or their family or friends.
With my personalized e stories I decided to try to tweak the children's interest in reading. I provide an unique story (some themes) for each child. Each story contains 8 - 12 elements of the child's life ranging from the simple - favorite color - to the more complex - special wish or dream. Each story is as individual as each child.
Any extra incentive which can encourage children to enjoy reading has to have a positive outcome. Instilling a love of reading in a child is giving them a gift which will last a lifetime. We pass down our recipes from generation to generation. Let's not forget to do likewise with our books and their joys!
Stories, read or written, don't have to cost a cent. They can be accessed from library sources. So regardless whether or not you purchase stories or books, remember the reading experience and Please Read With Your Child!
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